BILLERICA -- The 76-year-old auction employee driving the SUV that suddenly accelerated and ultimately killed four people last week has been involved in seven crashes since 1985.

According to records from the Registry of Motor Vehicles, Roger Hartwell has been cited in seven accidents; these have happened in Quincy, where he lives, as well as in Weymouth and Milton. Hartwell has also been cited for failure to stop, impeding operation, no inspection sticker and other offenses.

Hartwell had his license suspended in 2012 for several violations. He never had it reinstated after it was suspended, and it expired in 2014.

After the crash last week at Lynnway Auto Auction in Billerica, he was cited as an "immediate threat," and his license was indefinitely revoked.

Lynnway President Jim Lamb said the company was "unaware of the change in status of the driver's license until the police told (them) after the accident."

"When we hired him in 2010, he had a valid Massachusetts driver's license," Lamb wrote in the statement. "As he has had no issues while driving with Lynnway for the past seven years, we were surprised and upset to learn of this development.

"We hold our drivers to a high standard," Lamb added. "If a driver loses the ability to drive in Massachusetts for any reason, we would expect them to inform us and we would not allow them to drive on our property unless they hold a valid driver's license."

An employee said last week that Hartwell had been known for driving "irritatingly slow" during the auctions.

Advertisement

In his long list of violations, there is nothing for speeding.

Hartwell could not be reached for comment on Wednesday, a week after the tragedy that killed four and injured eight others.

"I didn't want it to happen," Hartwell told WCVB Friday about the fatal crash. "I'm not happy that it happened, and I'm sorry about it.

"I want the families to know that I didn't intentionally try and hurt anybody," he added. "I tried very hard to miss everybody."

Last week, the 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee he was driving in the garage suddenly accelerated and hit several people before crashing halfway through the cement wall.

It is still unclear what caused the crash. Authorities do not believe the act was intentional, and they are looking at whether mechanical failure or human error was at fault. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said that the process would be a "long investigation" involving accident reconstruction and an assessment of the Jeep to determine if it had any mechanical issues.

Ryan's office on Wednesday announced that a fourth victim had died from injuries sustained in the crash: Elliott Rowlands Jr., 50, of Buzzards Bay.

The three other victims who died are: A Lowell mother of three, Leezandra Aponte, 36; and Brenda Lopez, 48, and Pantaleon Santos, 49, both of Rhode Island.

"We continue to be shocked and saddened at the loss of life and injuries that occurred as a result of last week's tragic accident," Lamb said in a statement.

"At this morning's service, words of comfort, sympathy and prayer were offered," he added about the prayer service before Wednesday's auction. "We want to extend those thoughts to the family of Mr. Rowlands who passed away today from his injuries. Our prayers and condolences are with them and all of those who have been impacted by the accident."

The auto auction implemented safety improvements in the wake of last week's fatal crash. The company set up Jersey barriers to make sure vehicles do not veer off course.

The company also increased the first-responder details and the civilian safety team. Lynnway officials planned to meet with the drivers to reinforce safety practices, and "make sure that an overabundance of caution is maintained at all time," according to a statement.

"We are committed to keeping everyone safe at our auctions," the company added.

Meanwhile, the lawyer representing an East Boston man who alleges a runaway car injured him at Lynnway three years ago called on the company and every employer to use the Registry of Motor Vehicles' free online license inquiry system. This would prevent unlicensed employees from operating work-related vehicles, even on private property, according to attorney Richard Shalhoub.

Like Hartwell, the employee driving the vehicle that allegedly struck his client did not have a valid license, Shalhoub said.

"Our investigation into Lynnways' safety practices and with interviews of the 2014 mishap, video and the OSHA reports, notes and recommendations shows this was an accident waiting to happen, again, because OSHA told Lynnway what needs to be done to make it safer," Shalhoub said in a statement.

"I had to go back and re-read the report following last week's tragedy because everything OSHA found and recommended Lynnway do to prevent another runaway car was not done," he added.

Welcome to your discussion forum: Sign in with a Disqus account or your social networking account for your comment to be posted immediately, provided it meets the guidelines. (READ HOW.)
Comments made here are the sole responsibility of the person posting them; these comments do not reflect the opinion of The Sun. So keep it civil.